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If you’re like majority of people, when you watch the Oscars, you place your attention on the winners in the acting categories and pay little attention to the awards given to set and costume designers, writers, animators, and other “behind the scenes” talent that create just as much magic as the actors and actresses who grace the screens. This too is the case with public safety and emergency response services in our communities. Most people are aware of the 911 dispatcher and the first responders who help people in need, but we often overlook the integralpeople working behind the scenes.

When you hire an outside partner to help you manage your critical IT infrastructure, you are trusting them with a lot. Not only do you rely on them to keep your organization’s network functioning and safe from intruders, you also entrust your employees to the care of a company that you hope shares the same focus on customer service. To find out if a partner is a good fit, you want to ask probing questions BEFORE you hire them. That’s why we put together a list of 11 questions you should ask when evaluating managed IT services providers. Download your copy today!

In an earlier article, I outlined 5 reasons why you should outsource your IT service desk. While all five of the points outlined in that article are valid, one other benefit of using an external IT service desk solution is that it frees up your internal IT teams to focus on truly strategic, transformative work that can bring more value to your business.

Now that we’ve officially entered the era of “straight talk,” I thought it would be appropriate to provide a bit of my own on the topic of outsourcing IT services. I’ve boiled it down to five key points. Why it's always five, I have no idea!

An IT service desk is a vital resource for companies of all sizes. While the smallest companies may get by with part-time IT staff or other limited support options, many companies with more than 100 employees often rely on an internal IT help desk to get the technical support they need.

However, when we think about our resolutions regarding technology, information technology and technology solutions, and then how to make our lives more efficient by leveraging those...we get downright giddy. And we think you will too.

Yes, winter is coming (we've been looking for a way to tie that line in) and on January 13th, Microsoft will be ending it's free mainstream support for some key products, including the very popular Windows 7 Operating System (OS).

First, let's define "mainstream support". That is the (typically) five-year period where good old Microsoft will provide free fixes-including (but not limited to) security updates. When mainstream support comes to an end for a specific product, Microsoft will continue to provide a period-usually 5 years-of extended support, where users get free security fixes but all other types of updates are paid and require very specific licensing deals.

When Microsoft talks about "End of Support", they are basically saying that there will be no more IT support, fixes, or patches, regardless of it is paid or free.

Mainstream support will also end on the same January 13 date for all versions of Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2, along with all editions of Window Storage Server 2008.

Just like the end of days of Windows support for XP in April 2013, users need to begin planning a "migration strategy" to a new operating system.

For those that are planning, looking for help in switching, or for those companies who are on the fence considering a change, here are steps to make your transition as seamless and painless as possible.